Baseball Headline

Sunday May 12, 2002LSU Defeats Baseball 8-5

Bo Pettit threw 8.0 innings of four-hit baseball to lead No. 21/20/25 LSU to a 8-5 win over No. 8/8/10 Florida Sunday at McKethan Stadium. With the loss, Florida dropped its first home series of the year. The Gators are now 17-10 in the SEC and 37-15 overall while LSU improves to 16-10 in the SEC and 35-17 overall.

The game marked UF’s final home game. Three more regular season SEC games remain as the Gators are back in action next weekend for a three-game weekend series at Kentucky (May 17-19). Friday’s (6 p.m.) and Sunday’s (1 p.m.) games will both be televised on Sunshine Network. Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m.

Pettit (7-6) allowed just four hits, six walks and one run in 8.0 innings of work. He threw 152 pitches before Jake Thompkins relieved him in the ninth. Florida stranded five combined baserunners in the first and second innings. Pettit threw 45 pitches in the first inning but held UF to just one run. After the first, he held UF without a run until they scored four off Thompkins in the ninth.

"Bo Pettit was just outstanding today," Florida head coach Pat McMahon said. "He painted the outside of the strikezone and battled extremely hard. On offense, LSU was very opportunistic. They just kept building their lead with one run each inning. I’m proud of the way our guys battled back today."

Florida went up 1-0 in the first when Aaron Sobieraj drew a bases loaded walk. But the Gators were held without a run until they scored four in the bottom of the ninth.

LSU built a 4-1 lead as it scored one run in the fourth through sixth innings. The Tigers tied it up at 1-1 when Rocky Scalfo reached base on a slow grounder to third base. He went to second on a balk and scored on Wally Pontiff’s RBI single. LSU went up 2-1 in the fourth when Jason Columbus scored from third on Chris Phillips’ sacrifice fly caught in foul territory by UF second baseman Jonathan Tucker. Columbus walked, advanced to third on David Raymer’s single to right field and scored on Phillip’s foul ball. A Sean Barker RBI single in the fifth and a Chris Phillips RBI double in the sixth put LSU up 4-1

Matt Heath gave LSU a 7-1 lead with a three-run homer to right field in the eighth inning. The Tigers added their eighth run in the ninth on a UF error.

Florida clawed back with four runs in the bottom of the ninth when Matt Maley homered to right field, Jeff Corsaletti and Aaron Davidso walked and Mark Kiger followed with a RBI double. Pat Osborn added a RBI single and a throwing error scored another run.

Florida starter Keith Ramsey (6-3) struck out a career-high nine batters in 7.1 innings pitched but gave up 10 hits and five runs in taking the loss.

GAME NOTES

*Florida lost its first series at home this season.

*Keith Ramsey struck out a career-high nine batters today. Previously, his career-high was six set three times.

*Pat Osborn extended his hit streak to a team season-high and career-high 20 games. Mark Kiger extended his hit streak to 13 games with a second inning hit.